The Ministry for Ethnic Communities has received queries about an Ethnic Communities Development Fund (ECDF) grant provided to Asturlab Cultural Centre in December 2023 and is providing further information.

The ECDF does not, and is not intended to, support political campaigning or activities outside its published funding criteria.

Following the October 2023 outbreak of hostilities in the Israel–Hamas conflict, some communities in New Zealand sought the Ministry’s support for activities to help maintain social cohesion. In response, the Ministry introduced a fast-track process to enable timely consideration of ECDF applications. Through this process, seven applications were approved, including from Jewish, Muslim and multi-faith organisations.

One of these applications was from Asturlab Cultural Centre to support a short-term initiative delivered between December 2023 and February 2024. The application described community engagement, moderated discussions, youth activities, and digital content to support respectful dialogue, including engagement with Muslim, Jewish and other communities.

The application was assessed against the ECDF’s published purpose, eligibility and funding criteria and approved based on the information provided at the time.

The Ministry has initiated its complaints process in relation to this grant. The Asturlab Cultural Centre has confirmed that they remain committed to cooperating with the Ministry on this matter. Appropriate steps will be taken if any funding is found to have been used outside the approved purpose or funding criteria. No findings have been reached to date.